Mother Lode: My daughter’s last year in high school is really just the beginning

It was her traditional pose, in the front yard with the dogs, who never really want to cooperate but reluctantly comply. My daughter didn't even have to be at school that early, but she got up and got ready so she could have the photo taken before I had to be at work.

She's a bit sentimental entering her last year of high school. I know it can be bittersweet. I do remember that feeling of wanting to remember everything and holding onto every minute because I just didn't know what the future would bring. It was my last year in the familiar surroundings of high school, hanging with my friends and taking classes from teachers who I knew well. After that, I was simply heading into the great unknown.

I am glad to see my younger daughter embracing her senior year. It's the only one she will ever have. She is committed to enjoying every minute she can, working hard and getting ready for what comes next. And she is a bit anxious and worried about leaving what is familiar and safe.

What I really want to whisper in her ear is that the end of high school is truly just the beginning. It might be scary, it might be uncertain and the road might be rough at times, but there is so much life after high school. When you complete that important milestone, you begin to really discover yourself and what you want in life. You decide who you want to be and what you believe. You find interests and motivation that you never knew you had.

A few weeks ago we went to the University of Colorado at Boulder for a student/parent visitation day. As a Colorado State University graduate, the thought of my daughter going to CU is a tough pill to swallow. But I went. I didn't even wear my CSU shirt, although I kind of wish I had.

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It was an interesting day, not just because we learned a lot about where my daughter would like to possibly attend as a music education major. It was interesting because I got to see my daughter in the college environment. I was able to witness her taking it all in, picturing herself in that place, learning and creating the life she wants. It was exciting to see.

If I have learned anything about working with students professionally and from being a parent is this: If young people don't have hope, if they can't see the future and place themselves in it, if they aren't motivated and engaged in seeing their life in a positive light past high school, they may never get there. They may never graduate high school. They may not think of themselves as capable of college or a career. They may never dream of a life that is better or believe they can be fulfilled in whatever path they choose. Worst of all, they may despair and give up.

My younger daughter knows she will need a college degree to achieve her career goals. And hopefully by the end of this year, she will be ready for this new challenge and adventure.

For now, my only advice for her this final year of high school is to take it all in, study hard and do well in classes, and look forward, not back. So many exciting experiences await. And even though we both are a little sentimental about the passage of time, it's time to look forward instead of back.

The best really is yet to come.

— Theresa Myers is the director of communications for Greeley-Evans School District 6 and lives in Greeley with her husband and two teenage daughters. She can be reached at myersfreelance@msn.com.